5.

AUTONOMOUS MAINTENANCE AND SMALL GROUP ACTIVITIES

Autonomous Maintenance

The principal way in which the production department participates in TPM is through
autonomous maintenance- cleaning, inspection, and simple adjustments performed by operators
systematically trained through a step-by-step programme.
The purpose of an autonomous maintenance program is threefold. First, it brings production and
maintenance people together to accomplish a common goal – to stabilize equipment conditions
and halt accelerated deterioration. Operators learn to carry out important daily tasks that
maintenance personnel rarely have time for. These tasks include cleaning and inspection,
lubrication, precision checks, and other light maintenance tasks, including simple replacements
and repairs in some environments.
Second, an autonomous maintenance program is designed to help operators learn more about how
their equipment functions, what common problems can occur and why, and how those problems
can be prevented by the early detection and treatment of abnormal conditions. Third, the program
prepares operators to be active partners with maintenance and engineering personnel in
improving the overall performance and reliability of equipment.
Traditionally, the general attitude on the shop floor has been “I run it, you fix it”. Operators were
responsible only for setting up workplaces, operating the equipment, and checking the quality of
processed work. All management of the equipment’s condition was the responsibility of
maintenance staff. By now it should be clear that this way of thinking does not promote optimal
equipment performance.
The alternatives are sad indeed, because as operators you can easily prevent many breakdowns
and quality problems by learning how to recognize abnormal conditions. A great deal of this
learning can come about simply through your physical contact with the equipment – by taking a
little time to tighten loose bolts, lubricating dry parts and cleaning away dirt, and by noticing dirt
or grime on friction surfaces and switches – conditions that can shorten equipment life.
While these tasks are easy enough to do, in very few factories are they done well. Often you can
find clogged drains, empty oil supply equipment, and other results of neglect.
Autonomous maintenance teaches you, the equipment operator, to understand your equipment.
Equipment knowledge is no longer limited to operation; now it also includes a lot of things
traditionally regarded as maintenance work. This approach is becoming increasingly important as
factories introduce more robots and automated systems. Most important, you need the ability to
look at the quality of the products and the performance of the equipment and notice when
something is not right.
This depends on the following three skills:
1. Knowing how to distinguish between normal and abnormal conditions (the ability to establish
equipment conditions).
 2. Knowing how to ensure that normal equipment conditions are met (the ability to maintain
equipment conditions).
3. Knowing how to respond quickly to abnormalities (the ability to restore equipment conditions).
When you have mastered all three skills, you will understand the equipment well enough to
recognize the causes of future problems. You will realise when the machine is about to produce
defects or break down. You will also be able to respond quickly. The following list describes
some of the skills operators' need.
The ability to detect, correct, and prevent equipment abnormalities and make improvements.
This includes understanding the important of
1. Proper lubrication, including correct lubrication methods and methods for checking lubrication.
2. Cleaning (inspection) and proper cleaning methods.
3. Improving equipment to reduce the amount of debris and prevent its accumulation and spread.
4. Improving operation and maintenance procedures to prevent abnormalities and facilitate their
prompt detection.
The ability to understand equipment functions and mechanisms, and the ability to detect
causes of abnormalities.
1. Knowing what to look for when checking mechanisms.
2. Applying the proper criteria for judging abnormalities
3. Understanding the relations between specific causes and abnormalities.
4. Knowing with confidence when the equipment needs to be shut off.
5. Being able to diagnose the causes of some types of failures.
The ability to understand the relationship between equipment and quality, and the ability to
predict problems in quality and detect their causes
1. Knowing how to conduct a physical analysis of the problem.
2. Understanding the relationship between product quality characteristics and equipment
mechanisms and functions.
3. Understanding tolerance ranges for static and dynamic precision, and how to measure such
precision.
4. Understanding the causes of quality defects.

The ability to make repairs.

1. Ability to replace parts.
2. Understanding of life expectancy of parts.
3. Ability to deduce causes of breakdowns.
4. Ability to take emergency measures.
5. Ability to assist in overhaul repairs.
Obviously, anyone who masters all these skills has achieved a very high level indeed, and no one
is expected to do hat quickly. Instead, each skill should be studied and practiced for whatever
time it takes to acquire proficiency.
Implementing Autonomous Maintenance in Seven Steps
Table below outlines the seven developmental stages of an autonomous maintenance program.
These stages or steps are based on the experiences of many companies that have successfully
implemented TPM They represent an optimal division of responsibilities between production and
maintenance departments in carrying out maintenance and improvement activities.
A Step -by -Step Approach
It is very difficult to do several things at the same time. That’s why autonomous maintenance
training takes a step-by-step approach, making sure each key skill is thoroughly learned before
going on to the next. Autonomous maintenance is implemented in seven steps:
Step 1 : Conduct initial cleaning and inspection
Step 2 : Eliminate sources of contamination and inaccessible areas.
Step 3:Develop and test provisional cleaning, inspection and lubrication standards.
Step 4: Conduct general inspection training and develop inspection procedures.
Step 5 : Conduct general inspections autonomously.
Step 6 : Organise and manage the workplace.
Step 7:Ongoing autonomous maintenance and advanced improvement activities.
Seven Steps for Developing Autonomous Maintenance

Step Activity Goals for Equipment Goals for Group Members

(workplace diagnosis) (TPM group diagnosis

1.Conduct Thoroughly remove debris and Eliminate environmental causes Develop curiosity, interest, pride
initial contaminants from equipment of deterioration such as dust and and care for equipment through
cleaning (remove unused equipment parts) dirt; prevent accelerated frequent contact
deterioration
Develop leadership skills
Eliminate dust and dirt; improve through small group activities
quality of inspection and repairs
and reduce time required
Discover and treat hidden
defects

2.Eliminate Eliminate the sources of dirt and Increase inherent reliability of learn equipment improvement
sources of debris; improve accessibility of equipment by preventing dust concepts and techniques, while
contamination areas that are hard to clean and and other contaminants from implementing small-scale
and lubricate; reduce time required for adhering and accumulating improvements
inaccessible lubrication and cleaning
Enhance maintainability by Learn to participate in
areas
improving cleaning and improvement through small
lubricating group activity
Experience the satisfaction of
successful improvements

3.Develop Set clear cleaning, lubrication and
cleaning and inspection standards that can be
lubrication easily maintained over short
intervals; the time allowed for
daily/periodic work must be clearly
specified
Maintain basic equipment Understand the meaning and
conditions(deterioration- importance of maintenance by
preventing activities) cleaning, setting maintaining our own
lubrication, and inspection standards (What is equipment
control?)
Become better team members by
taking on more responsibility
individually.

4.Conduct Conduct training on inspection Visually inspect major parts of Learn equipment mechanisms,
general skills in accordance with the equipment; restore functions, and inspection criteria
inspection inspection manuals; find and deterioration;enhance reliability through inspection training,
skills training correct minor defects through master inspection skills
Facilitate inspection through
general inspections;modify
innovative methods, such as Learn to perform simple repairs
equipment to facilitate inspection
serial number plates, colored
Leaders enhance leadership skill
instruction labels, thermotape
through teaching group members
gauges and indicators see
learn through participation
through covers etc.
Sort out and study general
inspection data;
Understand the importance of
analyzed data.
5.Conduct Develop and use autonomous Maintain optimal equipment Draw up individual daily and
inspection maintenance check sheet conditions once deterioration is periodic check sheets based on
autonomously (standardize cleaning, lubrication, restored through general general inspection manual and
and inspection standards for ease inspection equipment data and develop
of application) autonomous management skills
Use innovative visual control
systems to make cleaning Learn importance of basic data-
lubrication/inspection more recording
effective
Learn proper operating methods,
Review equipment and human signs of abnormality, and
factors; clarify abnormal appropriate corrective actions.
conditions
Implement improvement to
make operation easier.

6.Organize Standardize various workplace Review and improve plant Broaden the scope of
and manage regulations;improve work layout etc. autonomous maintenance by
the workplace effectiveness,product quality, and standardizing various
Standardize control of work-in-
the safety of the environment management and control items
process defective products, dies,
Reduce setup and adjustment time; jigs, tools measuring Be conscious of the need to
eliminate work-in-prices instruments, material handling improve standards and
equipment, aisles, etc. procedures continuously, based
Material handling standards on the
on a standardization practice and
shop floor Implement visual control
actual data analysis
systems throughout the
Collecting and recording data:
workplace Managers and supervisors are
standardization
primarily responsible for
Control standards and procedures continuously improving
for raw materials, work-in-process, standards and procedures and
products, spare parts, dies, jigs, promoting them on the shop
and tools floor

7.Carry out Develop company goals; engage in Collect and analyze various Gain heightened awareness of
ongoing continuous improvement types of data; improve company goals and costs
autonomous activities;improve equipment based equipment to increase reliability, (especially maintenance costs)
maintenance on careful recording and regular maintainability and ease of
Learn to perform simple repairs
and advanced analysis of MTBF operation
through training on repair
improvement
Pinpoint weaknesses in techniques
activities
equipment based on analysis of
Learn data collection and
data, implement improvement
analysis and improvement
plans to lengthen equipment life
techniques
span and inspection cycles

Organisation & Tidiness Standards in Autonomous Maintenance

FOCUS ELEMENTS

Operator’s responsibility Organize standards for operator responsibilities;

adhere to them faithfully (including data recording)

Work Promote organized and orderly operations as well as

 visual control of work-in-process, products, defects,
wastes and consumables (such as paint)

Dies, jigs and tools Keep dies, jigs and tools organized and easy to find
through visual control, establish standards for
precision and repair

Measuring instruments and fool- Inventory measuring instruments and fool-proof

proof devices devices and make sure they function property;
inspect and correct deterioration; set standards for
inspection

Equipment precision Operators must check precision of equipment (as it

influences quality) and standardize procedures

SMALL GROUP ACTIVITIES

Operators and maintenance personnel from small groups and they continue to refine the
inspection process and to generate improvements that increase the equipment life and
effectiveness. They are increasingly involved with maintenance in gathering and analysing
equipment data such as the results of daily inspection, downtime statistics, oil and grease usage,
quality defect data, tool wear records and so on. And they continue to build analytical and
diagnostic stills by working on increasingly challenging improvement projects that reflect cooling
improvement goals, such as reliability and maintainability improvement or quality activities. At
this stage, the operators become full partners in the equipment management process and zero
down time and zero defects become achievable targets.